“Huh?”

That was the first word I had uttered in that place.

I scanned my surroundings, confusion filling me. At first glance, I was in a room that was white from top to bottom. So far, I could see no signs of a door, window, or exit of any kind. The only other thing visible in the jarring room of white was a huge black screen. It appeared to be part of the wall as it was at eye-level and seemingly stationary.

“Who are you?”

The voice calling out from behind snatched me from my observations. I jolted slightly in surprise, quickly turning around.

The person before me was a girl with blonde hair and deep black eyes. She looked younger, possibly no older than twenty. My guess of her age came from her features, having bright red lipstick and pink eyeliner around her eyes in a long streak. Her choice of clothing was very trendy, consisting of a crop top with a blue jean jacket over it as well as ripped black jeans which accentuated her curvy figure. She was giving me a wary look as she squinted intently.

“Oh, my name’s Astrello.” I answered, scratching the back of my head slightly. Hopefully she didn’t notice me jumping back in shock. I thought to myself.

“Well my name’s Gabriella, you can call me Gabby for short though.”

She stepped back slightly as she gave her name, not in a cautious way though, she turned, scanning the room. Gabby slowly panned, doing a complete 360 until she was facing me again. This time, a look of confusion was written on her face.

“So Astrello... why are we here? Also, how are we supposed to leave? I don’t see a door or exit…”

“Well…”

Blank. My head was completely and utterly blank.

“....Well?” She gazed at me expectantly, as if she wanted me to continue further.

“Sorry. I don’t really know.”

She sighed, looking slightly disappointed before turning to scan the room once more. As she did so my brow furrowed, as I was thinking intently. Why are we even here? Also, I can’t remember anything now that I think about it. I instinctively gave my name but besides that…who am I?

Just as the thoughts full of confusion continued to simmer in my brain, a voice, this time new to me emerged.

“Hello there my two aliens.”

The voice caught my attention, and my head turned to the source.

The screen which was black previously now displayed a man on it. There was a see through mask over his mouth which revealed a smirk. His eyes had a pitch-black visor covering them. The only other physical detail to glean from the individual was his black hair which was tied in a bun. It appeared long, being draped over his shoulder.

The camera only showed from the shoulder up, so from what I could see he had a white button-up on. The background of the room he was broadcasting from was white as well, however, there were some things behind him, such as a desk and even a computer.

“Alien?” Gabby questioned, walking over until she was standing side by side with me, gazing up at the screen with a curious look.

The man chuckled, “Yes. Aliens. Now, my name is L’ Boh and I’ll be telling you very important information so listen up okay?”

L’ Boh’s voice was very strange. As he spoke his voice fluctuated, going from a high tone to a low tone. Almost reminiscent of a boat going over a wave and down one as a storm was brewing. I couldn’t explain why but listening to it relaxed me, as his tone was very calm and smooth sounding. But still, despite that, I had to ask.

“Did you kidnap us?”

After hearing my question much to my confusion, his lips, which had been in a smirking position, curved upward causing the lower half of his face to wrinkle. The smile was extremely wide, making him almost look like he was holding back a laugh. It gave the impression that his only alternative was to display the widest grin.

At that moment, for a reason I couldn’t explain, I felt a chill run down my spine.

“Kidnap? Not necessarily… Anyways, I wanted to let you know that the only way you get out of this room is by finding the exit. You won’t be receiving any food or water until then. Also, if you can’t find the exit you will most likely starve to death.”

“What!?” Gabby stepped forward, a glare in her eye. “You expect us to stay in here for who knows how long to find a door in this pure white room!? Not to mention without any kind of place to rest!” She then turned towards me, pointing. “Plus I don’t even know this guy! For all I know he could be some creep or even a murderer!”

“That’s rude, how could you say that!” …Is what I wanted to say, but I found myself keeping my lips tightly shut. To be fair she wasn’t incorrect with her line of thinking. She didn’t know me, so to be trapped in a room for who knows how long with a complete stranger would bother anyone. Plus my mind was more occupied with the man’s words. Calling us aliens as well as being put in this odd room… It was too strange and random to comprehend so suddenly.

L’ Boh released an almost disappointed sigh. “Don’t worry. Mr. Astrello over there is a good alien. He won’t bite, might go pick your brain though. Ha, get it!? Because you two are aliens!”

After his joke, which brought nothing but a straight-laced stare from the two of us he started cackling, laughing so hard that he fell out of his chair. Gabby and I glanced at each other. We didn’t even have to speak, it was clear in her eyes that she agreed with my current thought. This man was insane!

A couple of seconds of lonesome laughter later, L’ Boh found his way back into the screen, slowly crawling back into his chair. His laughter was quieter as he finally got over his joke, which did nothing but double Gabby’s anger and frustration. Her face looked like it could rival the intensity of an angry buddha’s as she stared at the screen with laser focus.

As he reached under his visor, wiping what could only be a tear given his hysteria he spoke, “Alright. So, addressing your other concern Gabby, I will be giving you both beds to sleep in if that is most pleasing. Anyway, good luck. I hope you two advance.” His face which had been nothing but smiles the entire time-shifted when he next spoke, becoming serious and hardened. “Also, you should know that your success is paramount. So do your best, okay?”

And just like that, the screen flashed a bright white before becoming dark once more. His voice which reverberated throughout the room was vacant, leaving a deep and cold silence.

Suddenly, before I could question what we should do next, the lights shut off. This sudden shift made Gabby release a yelp. I felt a hard stomp on top of my foot a second later, making me yelp as well.

“Sorry.” I heard her say through the darkness, her tone genuine. It surprised me that she could be apologetic in this strange and no doubt scary situation. The sound of metal clogs shifting and scuffling came from all around me. The ground then shook, making me stumble slightly, all the while I felt nothing but confusion.

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I felt a hand firmly grasp onto my arm.

“Sorry for this. I just need something stable to hold on to.”

In all honesty, her grabbing of my arm nearly caused the opposite effect of what she wanted. I almost completely lost my footing. I mean, seriously, hasn’t she seen any horror movies? Getting grabbed in the darkness is an experience several side characters in films experience, and for mostly all of them, it was their last scene.

All I could do at Gabby’s explanation was force a chuckle; hoping to seem confident or at least unbothered. “Y-yeah that’s fine.”

I failed.

The sound of machinery clinking together lasted a few more moments before suddenly growing silent. Then, the lights of the room slowly raised, illuminating the area once more. The sight the two of us saw was shocking to say the least. The previously empty room suddenly gained two new accessories. Big Queen sized beds were in the room, the two being on opposite sides.

“Wow. So that guy was serious about us being stuck here.”

My only response to Gabby’s statement was a silent nod. I couldn’t muster up a single word. I just stared at the beds, before glancing towards her. Gabby’s face was currently between deciding if it wanted to be shocked, angry, or scared. She let go of my arm, separating.

“So, I guess we should start searching.” I said, before walking up to one of the walls.

“Just like that? You don’t want to try… I dunno, calling out to him again?”

“You can do that if you want," I retorted without looking back. "Given that conversation just now I don’t get the impression he’d bite."

Though hearing an indignant huff of frustration from Gabby behind me, I continued my examination. At first, sliding my hands against the wall seemed to be the natural course of action, however, after a second or two of doing so I came to a realization. Something was off with the wall. Even though I could see that I was touching it, the physical sensation wasn’t there. There was no texture to it.

“You gotta be kidding me…”

“What is it?” Gabby asked, peering over my shoulder.

“This wall doesn’t have any distinct texture or features. It feels like I’m touching nothing, so there’s no way to feel out the door.”

“The hell is that!?” Gabby coughed up, her eyebrows slanted in a mixture of confusion. Without waiting on a response, she moved closer to the wall. She, like myself, placed her hand on it, sliding it across.

As I stood, arms crossed watching the scene play out, silence filled the white room. A second later, she turned to face me, her left eye twitching ever so slightly.

“So, like, what do we do?” she asked.

“I dunno… Die?”

“Die….Die…. No way!” Gabby suddenly shouted, creating a slight echo in the room. I simply gave an apathetic stare at the vocal display. “I have too much to do, in this week alone—not even mentioning the rest of this month!”

“Oh yeah? What’s got you so pressed?” I questioned, as I slowly traipsed over to one of the Queen sized beds. I plopped down on it. The feeling was exquisite. It was as if my bodywas being enveloped by clouds…

“I model, okay? I have several brand deals that I have to make good on by showing off their products. If I’m trapped in this place, not only will I lose those opportunities but the money I was given for the contracts will be refunded…”

Gabby was now pacing back and forth. I followed her path; her eyes wide as she was staring at the ground. She continued to mumble to herself after her explanation, starting to bite at her nails anxiously.

I just released a sigh as I shifted to get more comfortable. With my hands rested behind my head I peered up at the ceiling. It was time to think.

So far, there are a couple things I know. It seemed my new friend Gabby, has memories and or knows who she is. The question is why don’t I? I had thought getting kidnapped and brought here came with a side dish of amnesia but it seems I was wrong. Also, what was the deal with that whole alien thing L’ Boh was talking about?

“...”

As I continued to stare at the ceiling, in complete silence the only thing filling my ears were the anxious murmurs of my roommate. The more I tried to rationalize the situation, the harder things became to sort out. If only I could recall what I was doing before this, or at least what I’d done in the past week; I may have been able to feel less frustrated.

“Hey, Gabby.” I called out, however silence was the only response I was given. I raised from my lax position, my gaze falling on her once more. She, like before, was walking in circles, still biting on her nails.

“This is really bad… I haven’t taken any jobs in a couple months anyway so I really needed these new gigs. This is really bad, like uber bad. What to do? What to do? What to do? What to—”

A pillow thrown with moderate force smacked into the side of Gabby’s face, interrupting her monologue. Her gaze became hostile as it shot toward the direction of the attack, an instantaneous reaction. I jolted back slightly, unable to resist the intimidation a furious woman induced.

“What was that for!” She growled.

I raised my hands in front of me, my attempt at peace-making. “I tried calling out to you many times but you didn’t respond.”

It was technically one time, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. In truth, I simply felt too lazy to get up from my cloud-like haven that was the queen sized bed.

“Ugh, fine, what do you want? I’m kinda busy, trying to figure out how to avoid my entire career going up in smoke.”

“I was going to suggest that you stop panicking.”

“And what good would that do?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side in an irritated manner.

“Well, it’s not like you thinking of how to handle your gigs is going to help you escape. You can’t teleport; so how about you just sit down for a moment and take a breather?”

My suggestion, while coming out somewhat brash because of my increasingly rising temper, seemed to reach Gabby. She opened her mouth, possibly to spout curses at me but paused. She pursed her lips together before slowly walking across the room.

This time however, she wasn’t going in a circle; her path was leading her to the other queen sized bed in the room. She fell onto it, releasing a low grumble.

I found myself breathing a silent sigh of relief that she offered no further protests. My first impressions of the girl told me she was one to speak her mind, as well as be somewhat of a hothead. It wasn’t clear if the reason she had become more silent was due to her acceptance of the futility in her actions, or being too tired.

Either way though, to my surprise the sound of snoring filled the vast room. Confused, I squinted closely, noticing that Gabby was out cold!

“That girl…”

I couldn’t even muster the words of disbelief. She, less than five minutes prior, was going on about how she wouldn’t feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with a stranger, just to do exactly that. I mean, she claimed I could have been a creep or murderer! How rude!

It didn’t bother me too much though. After all, now that she wasn’t freaking out I could actually focus and think. So, I started sorting out things that I knew.

One, L' Boh seemed to be the one who brought us here, or at least was somewhat related to the culprit. Second, Gabby, my fellow captee has memories from before being in this place unlike me. Third, L’ Boh called us aliens. And… that was it.

Sure, our task was to “find the exit” or whatever that meant. Since everything was dressed in white in the room, not a single spot minus the creases in the four corners of the space had any distinction from each other. Also, due to the material it was laced in, no part of it felt like anything in particular.

I scanned the room, my eyes focused; utilizing 120% of their ocular capabilities and… nothing.

“Argh this is ridiculous!” I shouted, falling back onto my bed in frustration. As I stared at the ceiling, a sinking feeling wedged its way into my stomach. I don’t know if the proper term would be panic, it was more than likely despair. I don’t know how long I stared at the ceiling. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I just couldn’t think of a way out of the situation no matter how hard I tried. The snores of Gabby continued to fill the room as I finally caved in.

Okay... Honestly, I would be better off going just going to sleep. After all, you can’t be hungry when you’re in dreamland. Even though I caved in to taking a mental break; I wasn’t giving up. That’s an important distinction, you see. It’s more of a strategic retreat. Yeah!

…Or maybe I was just coping. Either way, as I felt my eyes slowly closing and my mind slipping away; I was ready. Upon waking I would crack the code and break out of this cursed white room!